Residents urged to reduce garbage output as more workers strike

The B.C. Ministry of Health is taking too long to add effective, yet expensive, hepatitis B treatments to the Fair Pharmacare catalogue, said Tung Chan, CEO of the non-profit group S.U.C.C.E.S.S., yesterday.

Vancouverites are being reminded to put more thought into the garbage they produce now that municipal workers are on strike and garbage collection services on hold.

Jerry Dobrovolny, lead spokesperson for the city, said that large-scale festivals and events like the Vancouver Pride Parade and Celebration of Light are considered priorities and will continue as planned.

About 2,500 inside city workers went on strike yesterday to join the roughly 1,800 outside workers that went on strike last Thursday.

With only 600 exempt employees available to do the work of more than 6,000 striking civic workers, the public is going to have to help pick up after themselves when these events are finished.

“We are asking people to reduce, reuse and recycle to the greatest extent that they can during the job action,” said Tom Timm, general manager of engineering services for the city.

“Please take home whatever you bring to (these events). Pack it in and pack it out.”

Garbage collection services are also suspended to Vancouver’s roughly 90,000 single-family homes, and Dobrovolny added people will have to recycle more and clean out empty food containers to set aside in their homes for the duration of the job action.

Keith Graham, chief negotiator for CUPE Local 15, which represents inside workers, said yesterday nobody in the union wanted to see serviced disrupted.

There is no indication how long the strike might last, and the city has said it will not hire private contractors to replace services disrupted by the strike.

kristen thompson/metro vancouver

who’s in and who’s out

Police and firefighters are considered essential services and are not affected by the strike.

Street traffic bylaws will continue to be enforced, pay parking is still in effect and lifeguards are still on duty at city beaches.

Facilities and services that are closed include community centres, pools, fitness centres, several golf courses and children’s day camps.

Residential garbage collection is suspended, as is street construction, park maintenance services and recycling and yard trimming collection by city crews.